Clothes washing machine



March 15, 1960 H. KOPLIN CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE Filed Nov. 20, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. HARRY KOPLIN March 15, 1960 H. KOPLIN 2,928,269

CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE Filed Nov. 20, 1956 s Sheets-Sheet 2 a gi INVELNTOR. r HARRY ze un m h ATTORNEY March 15, 1960 H. KOPLIN CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3,

Filed Nov. 20, 1956 INVENTOR. HARRY KOPLIN e v N R m A E m: 2. 2, S /W 2 l H W HwOH h 5 I k. I mm m l I L j M, mm flw &2 by

This invention relates to impibvements in laundry machines of the type used for cleansing clothes and the like.

A principal object of the: invention is .to provide a d? States Pa e novel and improved form of laundry machine in which I the clothes are cleaned by the pulsating of cleansing liquid therethrough.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple I and improved laundry machine in which cleaning is effected by pulsing and circulating cleansing. liquid through the clothes and by filtering and recirculating the filtered cleansing liquid. I

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved laundry machine for washing clothes and the like in which the clothes are carried in a clothes container, stationary during the washing operation and in which a pulsing device is disposed in fluid, communication with the clothes container and is vertically oscillated to pulse cleansing liquid through the cothes in the clothes container, and to maintain the clothes in suspension therein. j

A still further object of the invention is to provide a launndry machine in which a plurality of perforate clothes containers are supported in fluid communication with respect to each other and in fluid communication with individual pulsing devices rocking about a common horizontal axis disposed therebetween; and having communication with the bottoms of the clothes containers through flexible bellows like walls for pulsing cleansing liquid through and around the clothes in the clothes containers and maintaining the clothes in suspension in the clothes containers during the cleansing operation.

These and other objects'of the invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds and with reference. to the accompanying drawings wherein:' f t Figure 1 is a top plan view of a laundry machine constructed in accordance with the present invention with certain parts thereof broken away in order to show cersupported in vertically spaced relation with respect tov ice liquid, which may be in the form of sudsy water, from one tub to. the other out through a passageway 19 in an end wall 20 of the cabinet 10 to a traveling filter .21 for filtering thecleansing liquid and accommodating the filtered liquid to be recirculated to the tubs 13.

Each tub 13 is covered by a cover 22 and has a per forate clothes containing basket 23 contained therein into which the clothes are placed for washing and are removed at the termination of the washing operation by bodily removal of the baskets 23 from the tubs 22. It should here be understood that while I have shown perforate clothes containing baskets within the tubs 22, that the clothes may be contained in fabric slings or in various forms of containers commonly used in commercial washing machines, to contain the clothes during the washing operation, as long as the clothes containers are sufiiciently perforate to accommodate the circulation of washing. water or cleansing liquid through the clothes to maintain the clothes in suspension during washing.

As herein shown, each clothes containing basket 13 has a hinged bottom 25 hinged to one wall of the basket as by hinges 26 andretained in position as by a removable pin 27 extending through aligned eyes 29 in the bottom and wall portion of the basket to enable the entire basket tobe lifted from the tub and to be positioned over an extractor or the like. The pin 27 may then be removed,

accommodating the bottom to drop about the hinges 26 to discharge the clothes into the extractor.

, The perforate bottom 16.of each tub 13 is shown as being enclosed by a depending wall 30 having a flange 31 extending thereabout forming a support for a plate 33 secured thereto as by nuts and bolts 34, extending through said flange and .plate and through a seal 35 sealing said plate to said flange.

The plate 33 has a central opening 36 therein which may be circular in form and which is shown as being spaced inwardly of the wall 30. The lower margin of the opening 36 is shown as being defined by a bead 37 of. a tire 39, forming a bellows like flexible wall for the pulsing of cleansing liquid from an oscillating container 40 upwardly through the bottom of the associated clothes containing basket 13.

'As herein shown, the upper wall ofthe tire is secured to the plate 33 in sealing engagement therewith as by nuts and bolts 41, extending through an annular plate 43 and through the side wall of the tire and the plate 33, to retain the tire in sealing engagement with the bottom of the plate 33in an obvious manner.

The liquid container 40 has an upper annular flange 45 extending outwardly therefrom having the lower sidewall of the tire sealed thereto as by an annular plate 46 abutting the inside of the lower sidewall of the tireand secured thereto and to the flange 45 as by nuts and bolts 47, in an obvious manner. Each liquid container 40 is shown as being trunnioned to an oscillating frame 49 I disposed within the frame structure 11 and spaced up- .wardly from the bottom thereof. As herein shown, bearthe ground on a frame structure 11 and having a partition 12 extending transversely across the center thereof. The partition 12 divides the cabinet into two tubs 13 having bottoms 15 open for a substantial portion of the areas of said tubs and have perforate bottom walls 16 extending across-the bottoms. thereof and forming-"perforate bottoms for said tubs. The wall 12 is provided with ,a passageway 17 therein spaced above lthegbottom thereof to accommodate'the circulation bf cleansing ing blocks 50 are mounted on each side frame member of the oscillating frame 49 and extend upwardly therefrom and form bearing supports for trunnion shafts 51 extend-' and extending upwardly along opposite sides of said frame structure at the transverse center thereof. The oscillating frame 49 is mounted on the shaft 53, as by inverted U-bolts 56 extending about the shaft 53, inwardly of the outer ends thereof and extending through flanges 57, extending along opposite side frame members of the oscillating frame 49. As shown in Fig. 2, spacer blocks 59 are interposed between the flanges 57 and the under side of the shaft 53, and are retained in engagement therewith as by nuts 60 threaded on the legs of the U-bolts 56.

The oscillating frame 49 and shaft 53 are oscillated about the bearing supports 54 as by an eccentric 61 adiacent the transverse center of the oscillating frame 49 and carried on a transverse shaft 62. The eccentric 61 has an eccentric strap 63 journaled thereon and having a yoke 65 extending upwardly therefrom and pivotally connected to opposite sides of a block 66 as by pivot pin 67. The block 66 is shown as being secured to the bottom flange 'of an end frame member 69 of the oscillating. frame 4-9. The shaft 63 is shown as extending outwardly of the frame structure 11 and as being suitably journaled therein. Pulleys 79, keyed or otherwise secured to the outer end of the shaft 62 are driven from the motor 71 by belts 73 trained thereabout and engaging motor pulleys 74 on a shaft 75 of the motor. secured to the frame structure 11 in spaced relation with respect to the bottom thereof and is herein shown as extending outwardly from an end of said frame structure. The motor 71 may be a variable speed motor to vary the pulsing effect of the liquid containers 40 and bellows like walls 39 at the selection of the operator of the machine.

Assuming the liquid containers 40 and tubs 13 filled with sudsy water above the bottoms of the passageways 17 and 19, upon operation of the motor 71, the oscillating frame structure 49 will be oscillated about the bearings 1. This will cause vertical movement of the two liquid containers 4%) in opposite directions, which with the bellows like motion of the flexible wall 39, will effect the pulsing of cleansing liquid upwardly through the perforate bottoms of the tubs 13 to cause a vertical pulsing or surging action within said tubs, which may be at a sufficiently high frequency to maintain the clothes in the clothes containing baskets 23 in suspended relation with respect to said baskets.

Baffles 76 depend from the perforate bottoms 16 of the tubs 13 and are inclined with respect to the bottoms thereof, to create a circulation of liquid around the tubs as the liquid is pulsated therein.

Each liquid container 40 is shown as having a depend ing reduced diameter drain portion or sump 77 having connection with a dump valve 79, through a flexible connector 80. The dump valves 79 may be solenoid operated to drain all of the water from the tubs 13 and liquid' containers 40 when desired.

Hot and cold water is supplied to the liquid containers 40 and tubs 13 under the control of hot and cold water valves 82 and 33 respectively, herein shown as being manually operated and as having connection with a vertically extending pipe 84, connected to and extending upwardly from an elbow 85, connected with a header 86. The header 86 extends along the front of the frame structure 11 and has fluid communication with the tubs 13 and liquid containers 40 by TS 87, having fluid communication with the tubs 15 through couplings 88, con nected with the walls 30 and leading therethrough, for supplying cleansing fluid thereto. The header 86 is also shown as having fluid communication with the pressure outlet of a recirculating pump 89, driven by a motor 90. The intake or suction side of the recirculating pump 89 is connected with the endless traveling filter 21 as by an intake pipe 91 extending upwardly from the intake of said pump and horizontally within an end wall 92 of a tank 93 for the traveling filter 21. As herein shown, the pipe 91 extends between the vertical runs of a filter screen 95 for withdrawing the filtered liquid to be pulsed upwardly through the tubs 13 upon oscillating movement of the liquid containers 4d and flexible bellows like walls 39.

The tank 93 is shown as'being secured to and extend- The motor 71 is ing outwardly from the end wall 20 of the cabinet 10, and as extending upwardly therealong and as having the end wall 92 extendingvertically thereabove, forming a bearing support for a drive shaft 96 for a perforate drum 97. The drive shaft 96 is also journaled'in an opposite end wall 99 of the tank 93 and is shown as being directly driven from a motor 100, which may be a well known form of electric motor having a speed reducer (not 7 shown) contained within the housing thereof, as is well known to those skilled in the art, so not herein shown or described further.

The wire mesh drum 97 is shown as being supported on the shaft 96 on an open spider having an elongated hub 103 extending along the shaft 96 and keyed or otherwise secured thereto. The hub 103 has a plurality of arms 104 extending radially outwardly therefrom, adjacent the wall 92 of the tank 93 and rotatably supporting the drum to form ,a perforate drive surface forthe filter screen 95. The filter screen extends upwardly along the wall 20 and passageway 19 about the wire mesh drum 97 and downwardly along the. outer wall of the tank 93 to and around spaced idlers extending along the bottom of the tank 93. As herein shown, the filter screen 95 extends from one end wall 92 to an opposite end wall 99 of the tank 93 and may be suitably sealed to said end walls to prevent liquid from entering between the runs of the screen through the ends thereof.

A spray pipe 111 extends within the drum 97 to spray lint and residue from said drum. .The spray pipe 111 is herein shown'as being mounted on sleeve bracket 112 on the end wall 99 of the tank 93. The spray pipe 111 has a plurality of orifices extending therealong for spraying through the wire mesh drum 97, to loosen lint and other material that may collect on the traveling screen 95, to be scraped therefrom by a scraper 113. The scraper 113 extends along the screen 95 on the opposite side thereof from the wall 20, and substantially at the horizontal diametral center of the drum 97. The scraper 113 is herein shown as being inclined to accommodate water sprayed through the screen 95 to wash lint and residue thereon downwardly into a residue tank 115, extending along the outer wall of said tank and supported thereon on an angle 116. A deflector 117 extends from the outer wall of the residue tank above the spray p pe 111 to deflect the Water sprayed through the screen downwardly into the tank 115. A suitable water connection (not shown) may be provided to the residue tank 115 to flush said tank when desired.

The tank 93 is shown as having an overflow outlet 119 leading from the outer wall of said tank above the passageway 19 in the wall 20 of the cabinet 10, to discharge the liquid flo'wing into said outlet to drain under the control of a valve 120, which may be a solenoid controlled valve operated under the control of a float or like control device.

A drain 121. leads from the bottom of the tank 93: to accommodate the draining of the entire tank when desired.

It may be seen from the foregoing that a novel and improved laundry machine has been provided in which washing is attained by maintainingthe clothes suspended in their clothes containers and pulsing cleansing liquid upwardly through the bottoms of the clothes containers and circulating the liquid thereabout by a simple form of oscillating bellows like pulsing device, and that the efiiciency ofthe washing operation is improved by the filtering of the cleansing liquid through a continuously traveling filter. screen and recirculating the cleansing liquid, back .to theclothes containers, to be pulsed through the clothes therein.

While I have hereinshown and described one form m which my invention may be embodied, it will be understoodthat various modificationsand variations thereof scope of the novel; concepts thereof.

the bottom of said tub pitched to create a circulation of upwardly moving liquid thereabout, and means for vertically moving said liquid container to effect the pulsing of liquid upwardly within said clothes container and the circulating of liquid thereabout.

2. In a laundry machine, a tub, a foraminous clothes container within said tub, said tub having a perforate bottom wall, an oscillatable liquid container spaced beneath said tub and mounted for oscillatable movement about a horizontal axis disposed beneath said tub, a flexible wall affording communication between said liquid container and the perforate bottom of said tub and secured to the bottom of said tub and to said liquid container at its opposite ends in sealing engagement therewith, means for filling said liquid container to a predetermined level, a motor, and means driven by said motor for rocking said liquid container about said horizontal axis. v

3. In a laundry machine, a stationary tub, a foraminous clothes co'ntainer within said tub, a vertically oscillatable liquid container spaced beneath said tub and mounted for rocking movementwith respect thereto about a horizontal axis, said tub having a perforate bottom, a flexible wall encircling said bottom and having sealing engagement with said bottom and said liquid container at its opposite ends, a motor, an eccentric drive connection between said motor and said liquid container for oscillatably driving said liquid container to effect the pulsation of liquid vertically within said clothes container, and baflies spaced about the bottom of said tub, to circulate the pulsating liquid thereabo'ut.

4. In a laundry machine, a stationary tub, a foraminous clothes container within said tub, said tub having an open bottom having a perforate bottom wall extending thereacross, and means for a pulsating liquid vertically through said bottom wall of said tub for maintaining the clothes withinvsaid clothes container in suspension therein, comprising a cradle rockable about a horizontal axis disposed beneath said tub and to one side thereof, a liquid container rockinglv mounted in said cradle, a motor, means driven by said motor for rocking said cradle, and a flexible wall connected between said liquid container and the open bottom portion of said wall, and cooperating with said liquid co'ntainer to effect the pulsation of cleansing liquid upwardly within said tub and foraminous clothes container upon oscillatable movement of said liquid container.

5. In a laundry machine, a stationary. tub, a foraminous clo'thes container within said tub, said tub having an open bottom having a perforateflbottom wall extending thereacross, and means for pulsating liquid vertically through said bottom wall of said tub for maintaining the clothes within said clothes container in suspension therein, comprising a cradle rockable above a horizontal axis disposed beneath said tub and to one side thereof, a liquid container rockingly mounted in said cradle, a motor, means driven by said motor for rocking said cradle, and a'flexible wall connected between said liquid container and the open bottom portion of said wall in sealing engagement therewith and cooperating with said liquid. container to effect the pulsation of cleasing liquid upwardly within said tub and foraminous clothes container upon oscillatable movement of said liquid container, and bafiies disposed beneath said perforate bottom of said tub for effecting a circulation of liquid thereabout.

6. In a laundry machine, a cabinet having spaced tubs therein having perforate bottoms and also having passageway members extending therebeneath and affording a means for fluid communications therewith, acominunieating passageway between said tubs, a foraminous clothes container within each of said tubs, means for pulsing cleansing liquid vertically through said tubs comprising a rocking frame, a motor, means driven by said motor for rocking said frame, liquid co'ntainers trunnioned on said frame for movement aboutaxs parallel to the axis of rocking movement of said frame, and flexible walls sealingly connecting said liquid containers with said passageway members, to effect the pulsing of liquid upwardly through said tubs and clothes containers upon rocking movement of said frame.

7. In a laundry machine a cabinet having at least two adjacent tubs therein having perforate bottoms, a communicating passageway between said tubs spaced vertically from the bottoms thereo'f, foraminous clothes containers within said tubs, means for pulsing liquid vertically through said tubs and clothes containers and establishing a circulation of liquid horizontally thereabout comprising a rocking frame journaled for rocking movement about a horizontal axis disposed between said tubs, a motor, eccentric drive means driven by said motor for rocking said rocking frame, liquid containers trunnioned on said rocking frame on opposite sides of the axis of rocking movement thereof, and opening in alignment with the perforate bottoms of said tubs, baflies depending from the perforate bottoms of said tubs and inclined to establish a circulation of liquid threabout, and flexible walls connecting said liquid containers with the marginal portions of the perforate bottoms of said tube References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 796,383 Willard Aug. 1, 1905 1,637,902 Holland Aug. 2, 1927 1,799,299 Johnston .4. Apr. 7, 1931 1,862,050 Donaldso'n June 7, 1932 2,076,011 Surface L. Apr. 6, 1937 2,152,455 Ballentine Mar. 28, 1939 2,171,449 Kuhn Aug. 29, 1939 2,203,479 Witwe June 4, 1940 2,303,541 Gluckman Dec. 1,1942 2,585,464 Hovden Feb. 12, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 43,458 France Mar. 19, 1934 (Addition to No. 747,263) 815,852 France Apr. 19, 1937 

